By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, August 10, 2018
Kevin Anderson pumped 12 aces and did not face a break point in a 66-minute thrashing of Grigor Dimitrov.
Photo credit: Rob Newall/Camerasport
The road to the US Open offered opportunty to familiar faces in Toronto today.
Racing through service games, US Open finalist Kevin Anderson looked like a man going places.
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By the end, Cincinnati champion Grigor Dimitrov looked like road kill.
Anderson drilled 12 aces and did not face break point demolishing Dimitrov, 6-2, 6-2.
The 66-minute thrashing is Anderson's first win over the Bulgarian since 2012 and sends the South African into the Rogers Cup semifinals.
The fourth-seeded Anderson will face either reigning champion Alexander Zverev or 19-year-old Greek sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas for a spot in Sunday's final.
"So many different aspects [to success], the biggest is the trust and belief in my game knowing my tennis can beat anyone in the world," Anderson told ESPN's Jason Goodall afterward. "The comfort of saying I'm here to win this tournament feels much more natural to me."
It is Anderson's second semifinal in his last three Masters 1000 appearances, including his run to the Madrid semifinals on red clay in May.
The former all American at Illinois is a man for all surfaces after deep runs on the clay of Madrid, the grass of Wimbledon and now Toronto's hard courts.
Meanwhile, Dimitrov looks like a man spinning his wheels.
The fifth-seeded Dimitrov was riding a five-match winning vs. Anderson, including a pulsating 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (6) thriller in the 2014 Toronto quarterfinals.
"He just came out and played his game and everything was going his way," Dimitrov said. "I think he served well. He did everything well. Just simple as that. He deserves for sure all the credit for the match. I mean, he was able to keep and unbelievable level throughout the whole match."
Empowered by his burst to the Wimbledon final last month, Anderson served with more authority, ripped returns and played with purpose and power posting his ninth win in his last 10 matches.
An oppressive Anderson broke serve four times roaring into his sixth semifinal of the season. Snaking viper returns that darted at Dimitrov's feet, Anderson rattled the Bulgarian early.
"I was able to make a lot of returns and put a lot of pressure on him from the baseline which was my game plan going in," Anderson told ESPN's Jason Goodall afterward.
Confidence issues and a second-serve toss that can stray too far left plagued Dimitrov, who is only nine months removed from his undefeated run to the ATP Finals championship in London, but he looked lost at times today.
Dimitrov's second serve isn't nearly as sturdy as the South African's second delivery, which exceeded 115 mph on occasion.
Spitting up a double fault, Dimitrov was at a standstill when Anderson scorched a crosscourt forehand for triple break point.
Fighting off a body serve, Anderson belted a forehand return down the line breaking for 3-2.
Swinging freely, the Wimbledon finalist fired a 136 mph ace backing up the break in the sixth game.
The menacing serve is an Anderson asset and his crackling returns caused misery to Dimitrov. Roping a forehand return crosscourt that burred by his opponent for break point, Anderson spooked Dimitrov into his second double fault breaking again for 5-2.
On his third set point, the lanky South African buzzed a forehand down the line wrapping a controlled set in 34 minutes.
Anderson was the aggressor throughout, pinning Dimitrov with the depth of his returns and smacking seven aces.
Unsettled by the big man's churning returns that danced near his shoelaces, Dimitrov sprayed a defensive backhand dropping serve at love to start second set.
The US Open finalist's serve was the most menacing shot on the court. Zapping an ace to confirm the break, Anderson shifted into overwhelming gear.
Even when Dimitrov tried to attack, Anderson had the answer. Leaning low, he got his body weight behind the ball stinging a backhand pass down the line then handcuffing the Bulgarian with a sharp serve for 3-1.
Tested to deuce for the first time, Anderson answered with an ace holding in the sixth game.
The agony and ecstasy for Dimitrov fans was evident in successive points. Dimitrov denied a break point with a daring forehand drive volley he took low and lasered into the corner. On the next point, the Bulgarian poked a backhand into the middle of the net.
Dimitrov has the skills to play dynamic all-court tennis, but lacks the confidence to deploy them. It's hard to play assertive when you don't know where the second serve is going.
There are many advancements in Anderson's game but one of the most important is his ability to finish with the forehand. Give Anderson anything near the midcourt area and he will tomahawk a forehand, which he did breaking for 5-2.
A diagonal forehand drove him match point in a 66-minute thrashing.
At 32, Anderson is playing his best now and believes he can get better.
"I'm really excited about the way I'm playing," Anderson said. "I'm incredibly motivated to keep working hard, keep pushing myself. I know that there's a lot of goals that I set for myself that I haven't achieved yet. I feel like I've done a good job through my career of looking ahead and staying motivated, always believing that I can do better.
"And I think it's been that sort of motivation that's kept me going and why I'm sitting here, 32, and still feel like I'm playing some of my best tennis. I still, you know, see areas in my game I can improve."